The Boy with Bread
by MistyOwl9240
Summary: Peeta's POV of the Games. Takes place until cave scene. Sorry most chapters are so short. Please R&R!
1. The Bloodbath

**The Bloodbath**

The horn blares, signifying that the sixty-second countdown is up. The last thing I see before I take off running is Katniss' silver-gray eyes blinking at me in confusion.

I'm doing a mad dash to the Cornucopia before I know it. More than half of the other tributes have retrieved their weapons and are spreading out into groups. I must admit, I'm slow.

The Career pack has assembled. No, almost. The girl from District Two is still picking over the remaining weapons. The pack is insistent to move on, but the District Two boy refuses to go without her.

I snap back to my senses and spot a single knife in the pile of weapons. I lunge for it and have barely closed my fingers around the handle when another knife grazes my cheek.


	2. Allying the Careers

**Allying the Careers**

I spin around just in time to see the District Two girl draw another blade from her collection inside her jacket. Instinct kicks in and I sprint for the last backpack. I've almost gotten the straps on tight when a knife whistles in my direction. It lodges into my pack.

The chase isn't over yet. The rest of the careers have spread out around me. With no way out, I surrender. The one knife I obtained won't be able to take down all of them. I raise my hands up helplessly.

"Well well well. Look who we caught," says the girl from District Two.

"Lover Boy," giggles the girl from One.

The boy from Four guffaws. "Want to blow Fire Girl one last kiss?"

_I'm sorry Katniss,_ I think. I have to give in, otherwise they'll kill me. I hate myself for sounding so selfish.

"I'll help you hunt Fire Girl down," I say firmly, hating to use the nickname they gave her.

The boy from Two, Cato I think, regards his offer suspiciously. "You're sure," he says sternly.

"Yes," I state, hating myself more and more every second now.

Cato looks around at the pack for any objections. There were none. Only surprised faces stared back at me. The audience will love this.

We shake. It's a deal.


	3. The Attack

**The Attack**

I've been hanging around the Careers for a while now. I've come to learn most of their names. The tributes from One are Glimmer and Marvel. District Two has Cato and Clove. I never learned District Four's names because Glimmer told me it was pointless to learn the names of dead people. Well, the girl from Four isn't exactly dead, but she sort of lost her mind when her district partner was decapitated.

It is nighttime now in the arena. Things were too quiet for the Careers' taste so instead of taking a rest, I'm following them around, waiting for a tribute to start a fire. Meanwhile, Marvel was devising an attack plan.

I hardly paid attention. I glanced around at the arrogant faces, wondering what would happen if we really found Katniss. Would we kill her? The thought was unbearable. Could I sever the alliance in time to help her? Surely, that would get myself killed.

Suddenly, a twig snaps. Flames bloom in the darkness. The Careers whoop with glee and take off towards their victim. I have no choice but to follow.

The fire-starter is a girl, from District Seven maybe. She rubs her hands over the warmth.

Cato grins. "I got this one." He rushes forward.

I turn my back to the scene, my dinner threatening to make a reappearance.

The girl screams. We move on. We pass a tree and decide to settle there. When the camp is ready, we all wait anxiously. The Careers wait for the cannon to fire and I wait for Katniss to rescue me from this mess.

Clove begins to worry. "Is she dead? We would've heard the cannon by now."

"We will, trust me," Cato replies. "I know where I cut her."

I couldn't take it any longer. I pulled my harshest voice out and said, "We're wasting time! I'll go finish her off!"

Great. I realized a second later that I just shut myself into a trap. I stumble in the direction of the now dying flames. The girl whimpers at the sight of me. I see a deep gash on her chest from her shoulder to the bottom of her ribs.

I want to whisper to her that I don't want to kill her, but I must. Then, I decide on the opposite. The audience must know that I'm tough. I have to show them. I bring the blade down over her heart. The cannon fires.

It was now that I remember what I told Katniss that night on the roof. _"I want to die as myself… I don't want the Capitol to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm really not."_

I know now that I am the monster. The Capitol is already winning me. And I will make them pay for that.


	4. Katniss

**Katniss**

I make it back to the career camp at dawn. They're surrounding a tree, looking well rested. I gaze up the tree. _Katniss! _Our eyes lock for second before I look away.

Katniss is playing nice. "How's everything with you?" she asks, sweet and cheerful.

This takes everyone aback. Cato steps forward. "Well enough," he says gruffly. "Yourself?"

"It's a bit warm for my taste," she replies, still sweet as sugar. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come up?"

"I think I will," he says.

"Here, take this, Cato," Glimmer coos, obviously flirting. She offers a bow and a sheath of arrows. Katniss' bow and arrows.

"No," Cato says. "I'll do better with my sword."

Cato starts to climb, and I see Katniss climb even higher. Furious, Cato climbs faster, but he loses his footing and crashes to the ground. He's clearly inexperienced at climbing trees.

Glimmer climbs next, with her bow and arrows at hand. Katniss, I see, is so high up by now that to slip means certain death. I turn my attention back to Glimmer.

The branches crack under Glimmer's feet, forcing her to stop. She attempts to shoot Katniss with her bow and it's immediately quite clear that she's never handled a bow before.

After a couple more failed attempts at shooting her down, I summon my harshest voice again and say, "Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning. I manage a sneer even though it was painful to sneer at Katniss. I didn't dare look up to see her reaction.


	5. Tracker Jackers

**Tracker Jackers **

I hear a small buzz. A crack. More cracks. CRASH! We all wake up to Cato's shouts. "TRACKER JACKERS!" I scramble to my feet and run. A sharp pain spreads under my ear and I know one has found me. The rest will be in pursuit. Cato and Marvel shout, "To the lake! To the lake!"

As I dash to the source of water, I can't help thinking that it was Katniss that dropped that wasp next on us. Betrayal.

A couple more painful stings brought me back to reality. The glistening water is just ahead now. I close the distance and spring in.

The cool water licks my stings comfortingly. I release a sigh.

Marvel chuckles at my behavior. "Pull the stingers out first."

When I do, I'm rewarded with relief as slimy toxin oozes out.

By now, every Career is in the water except Glimmer and the girl from District Four. "Where are the rest?" I ask.

As if in response, a cannon fires. Marvel sighs sadly. "There goes Glimmer. They didn't make it, boy."

Another cannon fires and I'm guessing that was the District Four girl.

I give an exasperated sigh. "Let's go back and collect our weapons," I suggest. The Careers nod, too mournful to object. I leave the sight first.

My shoes crunch under the dead leaves, but I don't care. It's time to break away. I hear another tribute nearby. I raise the knife, but I stop short at the sight of Katniss, poised and ready to fire and arrow. Her figure is blurred, so I can't see her expression. The tracker jacker venom has kicked in.

I want to yell at her. Instead, I hiss, "What are you still doing here?"

She stares at me blankly. "Are you mad?" I say. "Get up! Get up!" I'm close to shouting now. I hear footsteps approaching. _Cato!_ "RUN!" I scream at her. "RUN!"

Cato breaks through the clearing. I hear Katniss sprinting away and I brace myself for the conversation that follows.


	6. Severing the Alliance

**Severing the Alliance**

"Who were you talking to?" asks Cato accusingly. I don't reply, just flushed with relief that Katniss is safe- for now.

Clove materializes out of nowhere. "What's wrong Cato?" she asks.

Cato huffs. "I have a feeling that Lover Boy here was telling that Fire Girl to run off before the rest of us got here."

Clove stares at me hard. I gulp. Then, she whispers something into Cato's ear and pats his back.

Cato nods, and draws his sword. I brace myself, waiting for the blow.

A slash runs deep into my leg. I gasp at the intensity of the pain. District Two laughs and haughtily prances away.

Now weaponless and weak, I'm an easy target for even the little girl from Eleven. There's nothing I can do. I can't run now, in this condition and there isn't a decent hiding area anywhere nearby. That's when I notice a stream at the riverbend.


	7. Into Hiding

**Into Hiding**

There's a benefit in frosting the cakes for the bakery my family owns. For over eight years, I've been picking designs and blending colors to create realistic images out of frosting. Being artistic has a slight benefit in the Games.

Now, I lather every inch of my skin with the paint I mixed using some water from the stream and resources around me. I tested the camouflage system my placing my arm to the riverbank rocks. It suddenly disappeared. Knowing that my shade of paint is accurate, I continue painting my shoes, pants, shirt, jacket, face, neck, and hair. As an afterthought, I painted my hands also, just in case.

My next step is to bury myself in the rocks and dead leaves next to the stream: my only water source for miles.

The backpack, full of my remaining supplies lay next to me for easy access, buried under rocks as well. It was already quite well camouflaged, except for some neon green stripes, so I painted it anyway, for safe measure.

My work is done. I can now catch some sleep in the hard days to come.


	8. Found

**Found**

I wake up at dawn, my leg feeling more inflamed than ever. It's been days since I first settled. I've hid here for too long. Today, I must transfer to a different location.

I close my eyes again, thinking of where to go. I can't go back to the Careers; I've already broken away. In the state of my leg, I doubt I can climb a tree…

I'm getting an idea of where to go when I hear Katniss' voice in a hushed whisper.

"Peeta? Are you there?" she calls softly.

"Are you here to finish me off, sweetheart?" I joke.

She looks around. Left, right, up. She steps forward, kicking the sole of my shoe.

"Well, don't step on me," I tease.

She looks down surprised at the sight of me. "Close your eyes again," she says.

I close them, and I guess I disappeared again because she says, "I guess all those hours of decorating cakes paid off."

I manage a smile and say, "Yes, frosting. The final defense of dying."

"You're not going to die," she states firmly.

"Says who?" I say hoarsely, just barely remembering that I haven't drank water for days. Instead, I slept.

"Says me," Katniss answers. "We're on the same team now you know." She opens her bottle to give me a drink.

I know. Technically, we're allies, maybe friends. I don't give in much thought though. Now that Katniss has found me, I know I'm in good hands.

**End**


End file.
